Receptacle



May 23, 1944. R BURRE I 2,349,238

RECEPTACLE Filed Nov. 28, 1942 INVENTOR PHILLIP H. BURRE TTO RN E Y Patented May 23, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RECEPTAGLE Philip H; Barre, South Ozone Park, N. Y.

Application November 28, 1942, Serial No. 467,180

13 Claims.

This invention relates to receptacles. More particularly the invention pertains to disposable paper receptacles which are adapted to be employed as sputum cups and which, therefore, for sanitary reasons have their covers biassed to closed position. i

The main object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of the character described wherein the cover is hinged to the receptacle in a novel manner which permits the sputum cup to be fabricated and assembled with greater ease and speed and at a lesser cost than has heretofore been possible.

Another object of the invention is to provide a'receptacle of the character described comprising only one part, as contrasted with previous receptacles of a similar nature which have here-- tofore employed at least three parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of the character described which can be shipped as a flat one-piece blank ready to be assembled by hand and without the use of any special equipment, such, for example, as stapling machines.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements,

and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which there is disclosed one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sputum cup embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof with. the cover slightly lifted,

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of the hinge, taken substantially along the line 33 in Fig. 2;

and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a flat blan from which the sputum cup is formed.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Fig. 4, I have there shown a blank B which has been so scored, slotted, and shaped that it can be readily transformed without the use of tools or extraneous fastener elements into a sputum cup such'as shown in Figs. 1-3. Said blank is fabricated from a layer of flexible, resilient paper, such as manila paper, which is heavy enough to be self-form-maintaining. Such papers are generally known as bending boxboards. These papers are characterized by the fact that they, have a grain and that when bent across the grain they tend to resume their original fiat position. The blank is cut or otherwise shaped in any manner well-known to the art to provide a portion Ii] of standard outline, which, when folded along conventional score lines ll provided therein, will be transformed into .an open-top box [2 of suitable shape.

It is desired to make clear at this point that the instant invention does not reside in .the particular shape or style of the blank portion H) or subsequently formed box l2; although such portion and box are, by virtue of their integral connection with a cover (soon to be described), elements of the invention.

A projection 14 integrally extends from a part it of the box-forming portion Iii of the blank which subsequently comprises the rear wall ll! of the box, said projection and rear wall part being connected by a score line 2%. Phe projection includes a cover portion 22 of suitable size and shape which, in the illustrated embodiment of my invention, is square and larger than the opening to be covered. Said cover portion is connected to the box-forming portion it by two panels 24, 26 of similar .sizeand shape. The dimension of the panels 24, .26 transverse to the longitudinal axis of the projection M is determined by the desired width of the hinge 28 which connects the cover 30 to the box 2. The dimension of said panels ,parallel to this axis is determined by the desired height of the hinge.

The panel 24 is connected to the cover portion 22 by a score line 32 running parallel to the score line 20. The panels 24, 26 are connected to each other by a score line 35.

It will be apparent as the description proceeds, that the two panels 24, '26 need not necessarily be of the same size or shape nor need the score lines 28, 32, 34 be parallel. In order to carry out the invention, it is only necessary to have the panels 24, 25 of such configuration'and the score lines 20, 32, 34 so arranged that when one of the panels is folded about the score line 34 to lie flat on the other panel, the score lines 20, 32 will 7 be juxtaposed. To this end the score lines 20,

slit portions 40 at the base of the tab 36.

the score line 34 in such fashion that they extend away from the box 12 to provide a hinge 28.

It will be noted that the box portion I and projection I4 are so laid out on the paper that the grain G thereof (indicated by the light, wavy lines in Fig. 4) runs traversely of the score lines 20, 32, 34 whereby the panel 26 always tends to resume its original fiat position, coplanar with the rear wall l8 of the box. This tendency causes the hinge 28 to bias the cover 36 to closed position.

Means is also provided to maintain the two panels 24, 26 in juxtaposed relationship, since otherwise the resilient action of the paper would spread said panels apart. Such means, in accordance with a feature of my invention, is integral with the projection l4, includes no extraneous elements such as staples or glue which might be deleteriously affected by humidity or the passage of time. Said means may comprise a tab 36 cut in the panel 24 by a slit 38 and having its base on the score line 22. The ends 46 of the slit are inturned a sort distance along the base line of the tab. A second slit 42 is provided along the score line 20, said slit having a length equal to the distance between the inturned The slit 42 terminates in oblique extensions 44 which project into the panel 26.

While the panels 24, 26 are being folded to form the hinge 28, the tab 36 i inserted in the slit As the tab is pushed therethrough, since it is wider than the portion of the slit 42 lying on the crease 26, the sides of the tab will ride in the oblique slit extensions 44. When the base of the tab reaches the slit 42, the sides of the tab will spring back to a plane passing through the score line 26, since in this position the width of the tab is reduced by the inturned slit portions 46 to the length of that portion of the slit 42 lying on the score line 20. The tab will now be locked in the slit 42 and the two panels 24, 26 held together.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device which achieves the several objects of this invention and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as'illustrative and tegrally connected by a score line, the opposite edges of said panels being integrally connected respectively to said cover and to a wall of said box, said panels being substantially coplanar with said wall of the box when the cover is closed, and means to maintain said panels in such parallel juxtaposed position.

2. A receptacle of the character described formed exclusively and entirely from a flat blank of flexible, resilient, self-form-maintaining paper, said receptacle comprising a box, a cover therefor, and a hinge connecting said box and cover and biassing said cover to closed position, said hinge including two parallel juxtaposed panels extending away from said box and integrally connected by a score line, the opposite edges of said panels being integrally connected respectively to said cover and to a wall of said box by score lines, said panels being substantially coplanar with said wall of the box when the cover is closed, and means to maintainsaid panels in such parallel juxtaposed position.

3. A receptacle of the character described formed exclusively and entirely from a flat blank of flexible, resilient, self-form-maintaining paper, said receptacle comprising a box, a cover therefor, and a hinge connecting said box and cover and biassing said cover to closed position, said hinge including two paper panels extending away from said box and integrally connected by a score line about which they are folded into parallel juxtaposed relationship, said panels being integrally respectively connected at their opposite edges to said cover :and to a wall of said box by juxtaposed score lines, said panels being substantially coplanar with said wall of the box when the cover is closed, and means to maintain said panels folded about said first named score line.

4. A receptacle of the character described formed exclusively and entirely from a fiat blank of flexible, resilient, self-form-maintaining paper, said receptacle comprising a box, a cover therefor, and a hinge connected said box and cover and biassing said cover to closed position, said hinge including two paper panels extending away from said box and integrally connected by a score line about which they are folded into parallel juxtaposed relationship, said panels being integrally respectively connected at their opposite edges to said cover and to a wall of saidbox by juxtaposed score lines, said panels being substantially coplanar with said wall of the box when the cover is closed, the paper blank from which said box is formed having a grain running transverse to said score lines, and means to maintain said panels folded about said first named score lines.

5. A box as set forth in claim 4 wherein the score line joining the two panels comprising the hinge is parallel to the score lines joining said panels to the box cover and to a wall of the box.

6. A receptacle of the character described formed exclusively and entirely from a fiat blank of flexible, resilient, self-form-maintaining paper, said receptacle comprising a box, a cover there for, and a hinge connecting said box and cover and biassing said cover to closed position, said hinge including two paper panels extending away from said box and integrally connected by a score line about which they are folded into parallel juxtaposed relationship, said panels being integrally respectively connected at their opposite edges to said cover and to a wall of said box by juxtaposed score lines, said panels being substantially coplanar with said wall of the box when the cover is closed, and means integral with said receptacle to maintain said panels folded about said first named score line.

7. A receptacle of the character described formed exclusively and entirely from a flat blank of flexible, resilient, self-form-maintaining paper, said receptacle comprising a box, a cover therefor, and a hinge connecting said box and cover and biassing said cover to closed position, said hinge including two panels extending away from said box and integrally connected by a score line about which they are folded into paralle1 juxtaposed relationship, said panels being integrally respectively connected to said cover and to a wall of said box by juxtaposed score lines, said panels being substantially coplanar with said wall of the box when the cover is closed, and means to maintain said panels folded about said first named score line, said last named means comprising a tab cut out from one of said panels and adapted to cooperate with a slit in the other of said panels.

8. A receptacle of the character described formed exclusively and entirely from a flat blank of flexible, resilient, self-form-maintaining paper, said receptacle comprising a box, a cover therefor, and a hinge connecting said box and cover, and biassing said cover to closed position, said hinge including two paper panels extending away from said box and integrally connected by a score line about which they are folded into parallel juxtaposed relationship, said panels being integrally respectively connected to said cover and to a wall of said box by juxtaposed score lines, said panels being substantially coplanar with said wall of the box when the cover is closed, and means to maintain said panels folded about said first named score line, said last named means comprising a tab cut out from one of said panels and having its base on one of the second named score lines and a slit in the other of the second named score lines.

9. A receptacle as set forth in claim 8 wherein the slit has oblique terminal portions extending away from the score line, the tab adjacent its base is wider than that portion of the slit along the score line, and the base of the tab is narrower than said slit portion.

10. A paper blank for forming a covered box,

said blank including a portion adapted to be formed into an open-top box, and a projection integrally extending from a part of said portion adapted to form a wall of the box, said projection being connected to said part by a score line and comprising a cover portion and two panels intermediate said score line and said cover portion, one of said panels being connected to said cover by a second score line, the other of said panels being connected to said part by the first score line, said panels being connected to each other by a third score line, said first and second score lines being arranged symmetrically on oppoiste sides of said third score line, whereby said panels can be disposed in parallel juxtaposed relationship substantially coplanar with said part when said blank is formed into a box with the cover thereof closed.

11. A blank as set forth in claim 10 wherein the first and second score lines are parallel to and equidistantly spaced from the third score line.

12. A blank as set forth in claim 10 wherein means is integrally provided on one of the panels for cooperation with means integrally provided on the other of said panels to maintain said panels in parallel juxtaposed relationship after they have been folded about the third score line.

13. A blank as set forth in claim 10 wherein one of the panels is provided with a tab adapted to be inserted in a slit of the other of said panels to maintain said panels in parallel juxtaposed relationship after they have been folded about the third score line.

PHILIP H. BURRE. 

